Chapter 684

Let’s make a shaved ice machine! (1)
“Oh, you’re already here. Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

Noticing our presence, Ojisama chuckled heartily and, as soon as he reached us in front of the shop, dumped the people he had been carrying on both shoulders onto the ground.

“Ow! Geez, couldn’t you be a little gentler when carrying us!?”
“Ugh…”
“Tirie-san!? And Owen-san too!?”

The ones Galvano Ojisama had been carrying were the crossdressing elf and the Adventurers’ Guild Guildmaster Tirie and the magic tool artisan Owen.

“Sorry about this. I was drinking with these guys until this morning, but they both ended up passing out, so I had no choice but to drag them back here.”
“Galvano, you should have just left these guys at the tavern. Why did you bring them?”

Otousama glared sharply at Tirie, clearly displeased.
Oof, Otousama’s being harsh!

“Oh? You’re here too, huh. Well, don’t be so harsh. Owen was going to be called here anyway, and Tirie would’ve just barged in later, so it’s all the same.”
“Hey! Don’t you think you’re treating me way too roughly!?”
“That’s what you get for your usual behavior. Now, get back to the guild already. It won’t look good if the guildmaster is lazing around.”

Otousama shooed Tirie-san off with a wave of his hand, ignoring her protests. Such a cold response.

“Geez, so cold! But actually, since you’re here, this is perfect. I’ve got something to discuss, so come with me to the guild.”
“Rejected.”
“I said it’s business with the territory lord, so you have to come!”
“Still not happening. I’m here on a day off.”
“Fine! Then I’m taking the day off too!”
“You…”

Watching the pouting Tirie-san and the exasperated Otousama pressing his fingers to his forehead, Mariel-chan’s cheeks flushed.

She’s probably thinking something like, “The stern lord being cornered by the flirty elf? The best!”

“… Mariel-san?”
“Eek! Y-Yes! I’m sorry!”

I dropped a small piece of ice on her back with unspoken ice magic. Well, it was getting hot both in temperature and in imagination, so I figured it was good for cooling off.

Seriously, I keep telling her to tone it down when it comes to real people…

Especially since this time it involves my father—no way I’m letting that slide.

By the way, Otousama is head-over-heels in love with Okaasama, just so you know.

“Cristea.”
“Yes!?”
“I’m going to escort this useless guildmaster back to the Adventurers’ Guild and have a word with him. I’m sure Norman is reliable, but don’t get out of hand while I’m gone.”
“… Okay.”

How rude! I’m just here to ask for a shaved ice machine—there’s no reason for me to get out of hand!

“Norman, it might be a bit much for you alone, but I’ll try to come back soon. Take care of things here.”
“Understood.”

Excuse me? What do you mean, “might be a bit much”? And why is Oniisama nodding solemnly too?

Shouldn’t it be, “There’s nothing to worry about. Let’s trust Cristea,” or something like that!?

Though dissatisfied, I watched Otousama lead Tirie-san off—he tried to link arms with him but got swatted away—and we entered Galvano Ojisama’s workshop.

“So then, what am I making this time?”

Galvano Ojisama tossed the still-dazed Owen-san onto a couch and plopped himself down in his usual seat.

… Is Owen-san going to be okay?

“Well, this time it’s the shaved ice machine we tried before but couldn’t complete.”

At first, Ojisama seemed puzzled by the term, but after digging through his memories, he clapped his hands in realization.

“Oh, that thing! Sorry I couldn’t figure it out back then.”
“Haha, no, it was my poor explanation…”

Mainly because my diagrams were a disaster. Yeah.

“But this time, with Mariel-san’s help, I think we can properly explain it. Right, Mariel-san?”
“Y-Yes! Um, here…”

Mariel pulled out her sketchbook and showed him the illustrations of the shaved ice machine.

She didn’t really know the details about shaved ice machines either, but relying on her past life memories, she drew several types of shaved ice machine illustrations.

“You put a block of ice here, turn this handle, and the ice gets shaved and falls into the dish below. I think you press down on the ice while turning it, and it hits the blade at the bottom and shaves off…”
“I see, I see. So, turning this handle applies rotation and pressure to the ice, and the blade works like a plane to shave it off… in that case…”

Ojisama started mumbling, breaking down the mechanism and parts of the machine. Then Owen-san, who had finally recovered, peeked over at the sketches.

“This looks like a really simple tool. If you incorporate a magic circle, I could make a magic tool that shaves ice automatically when you pour mana into it.”

Of course Owen-san, the eccentric magic tool geek, would say that it's easy.

But… wouldn’t that mean needing ice-element magic stones or really complex magic circles? In other words… super expensive, right…?

What do you think about this chapter?